Mr. Chair and honourable members, thank you for inviting me here today.
My name is Kevin Klippenstein. I'm the chair of the Organic Farming Institute of B.C. We're situated in Cawston, B.C., the organic capital of Canada.
The institute has created three courses to date: introduction to organic soil management and nutrient cycles, organic soil management practices and transitioning to organic methods, and organic soil management field training. We're also now working on developing another course on ground crops, to be completed by spring 2012.
My wife, Annamarie, and I also run a successful organic market garden in B.C., which we started from scratch 10 years ago on five acres of land. We now farm 40 acres of mixed fruit and vegetables, selling everything at Vancouver farmers' markets. On November 18, we were recognized as Canada's outstanding young farmer of the year for 2011.
Organic agriculture offers compelling solutions for today's challenges in agriculture. Organic is a low-input system that has much to offer all agriculture in terms of innovative methods to reduce input costs and reliance among producers. Organic relies on the science of crop rotation, nutrient cycling, and integrated pest management. It is shown to increase biodiversity and resilience on and around the farm, to sequester carbon in the soil and reduce energy usage on the farm, and can lead to lower nutrient runoff into our waterways. These are challenges that all agriculture seeks to address.
I believe one priority area for Growing Forward 2 is to encourage young and new farmers into the industry. Organic production tends to offer an attractive financial model with a market growth, high customer demand, and fair income for farm families. Organic farming attracts a high number of new entrants to farming, which in turn requires significant knowledge transfer, infrastructure supports, and extension services. The Organic Farming Institute has begun creating courses because we found an educational need and wanted to fill that gap.
When I started farming 10 years ago, there was not much out there for organic agriculture courses. We need mentorship and apprenticeship programs for young people to get into the industry. We personally have created a successful on-farm mentorship program on our farm, which has been running for the last five years with no government support and has turned out over 20 young farmers already. Growing Forward 2 should address support for such programs. Agriculture Canada also needs to keep supportive programs such as Outstanding Young Farmer to recognize leaders in agriculture and help promote excellence in agriculture.
A second priority area is to improve infrastructure and services to the organic industry. Growing Forward needs to bring back the organic extension agent. Extension services and outreach will [Inaudible--Editor]...to grow with the organic community and its public support. It is essential to new and young farmers who are just finding their way around certification and the regulations that must be followed, and also to the seasoned farmers who are diversifying to help diminish risk.
Growing Forward should put funds towards physical infrastructure at the farm level to help with such things as season extension technologies, including hoop houses, greenhouses, and geothermal and solar technologies; and items such as food processing equipment that enhance the ability of farmers to help store their crops, such as coolers, freezers, and dryers. The reason our farm has succeeded is that we have put up our own coolers, freezers, and dryers on farm winter storage. We use hoop houses to extend the growing season and solar and geothermal on our farm, which enable us to sell our produce year round.
A third priority is to support the establishment of permanent farmers' markets. Farmers' markets enable small family farms to be competitive in the marketplace by providing a place for farmers to sell products locally, reducing the carbon footprint. Selling at farmers' markets allows for more return directly to the farmer, thus helping farmers to farm year round and not depend on outside employment to sustain the farm.
Look at us, for example. Since we started farming 10 years ago, we have sold 99% of everything we grow through farmers' markets. That is what helped us to succeed by creating year round cashflow. Local farm markets are now responsible for over $1 billion in sales across the country. That generates more than $3 billion in economic spinoffs. I know that this year alone, Vancouver's top four markets have done over $4 million in sales already.
Permanent infrastructure is very important for helping new and current farmers to be competitive, but it is absolutely critical in B.C., where a majority of produce grown is for the export market. Very little infrastructure exists for large B.C. producers to sell to the domestic population. Nearly no infrastructure exists outside of a few small distributors and small buyers in insecure outdoor farmers' markets for small growers to sell domestically. Without ready, secure outlets and markets to sell domestically, small farmers have no security to build their farm business, develop products, or clientele, etc.
In B.C., this is especially pronounced, as there are over 20,000 small farmers across the province. This is the way farming developed in B.C., on small lots and where only a small percentage of land was arable. B.C. has more small farmers than any other province in Canada. As you know, it has among the highest cost per acre of any region or province. For small farmers to be competitive, new domestic markets must be cultivated, and new infrastructure is required to allow that to happen.
A fourth priority is to level the playing field in the B.C. organic industry by regulating the word “organic”. This is an uneven playing field and there is consumer confusion in the B.C. organic marketplace due to the implementation of the national regulations. Currently in B.C., nationally certified operations can refer to their product only as “organic”. Any non-organic operation, regardless of their practices, can also refer to their product as “organic”, unless deemed false and misleading by CFIA. Regionally certified operators can and do continue to use the phrase "certified organic" in an effort to distinguish their products from those making unsubstantiated claims. We feel that in Growing Forward 2, there needs to be more marketing put in place to bring awareness to organic practices.
A fifth priority is in regard to GMOs. Genetically modified organisms or genetically engineered crops need to be extinguished. We still do not know all of the implications of these items or what they will do to our food. It is vital to farmers that they can save their own seed. The ability of some large corporations to own seed, or DNA in seeds—which can then move into another farmer's field—makes it really hard for farmers to save their own seed.
The input of GMOs has caused conflict in the organic industry, as the farmers fear cross-contamination. For example, we grow over 200 varieties of tomatoes. As you may or may not know, there is a tomato on the market that has a fish gene in it to make it last longer on the store shelf. We do not want that gene passed into our fields and contaminating our seeds. With over 250 varieties of tomatoes, they are a show-stopper at the markets and a major income source for our farm. If they are crossed with a fish or animal gene, we would lose our organic certification and our reputation in the marketplace. We cannot legalize contamination from unapproved GM foods. Low-level presence is unacceptable and unjustifiable.
On labelling, for competitiveness reasons, all foods should be labelled with ingredients, including GMO and genetically engineered ones. It is the consumer's right to make an educated choice when buying food. Any nutrient label on any packaged or processed food should include any GMO or GE item within the product.
In conclusion, as farmers and educators, we feel that Growing Forward 2 should be putting money towards the following: labelling of GMO and GE products and food; helping farmers save their own seed; educating the consumer on organic at the national and provincial levels; establishing permanent markets and infrastructure to sell domestically; improving infrastructure and services to the organic industry, such as the organic extension agent and physical infrastructure at the farm level; and putting money towards new and young farmers through apprenticeships, mentorship programs, access to land, and educational services.
Thank you. I'm looking forward to answering your questions.